Call for Gunnedah horse owners to contact DPI

19 Oct 2007
Horse owners with horses in the Gunnedah district are urged to contact the NSW Department of Primary Industries to find out if their horses are eligible for equine influenza vaccination.

“Vaccination teams have been having difficulty in contacting some eligible horse owners in the buffer area surrounding Gunnedah,” said NSW deputy chief veterinary officer, Ian Roth.

“We have been trying to arrange vaccination, however we have had little success in contacting some horse owners.

“These people may be out working on the farm during the day, or at work in town.

“The quickest way to get on with the vaccinations is for people who have horses within a radius of approximately 20 kilometres around Gunnedah to call us.

“We can then tell them whether their horses will be vaccinated and make arrangements for a vaccination team to visit.”
Horse owners can call the Gunnedah Local Vaccination Centre between 8.30am and 7.00pm on any of the following numbers:
6741 8313
6741 8314
6741 8315
6741 8316
6741 8317

Horse flu border restrictions eased

Horses stranded interstate because of equine flu quarantine measures will now be allowed into Victoria, under strict conditions.

The offer applies to those horses in disease-free "green zones" in New South Wales and Queensland.

The horses will have to be tested and found EI free before they begin two weeks quarantine in New South Wales and then in Victoria.
Victoria's Chief Veterinary Officer Hugh Millar says unfortunately the protocol comes too late for those horses banned from the Spring Racing Carnival.

Read more.

More Money For Not Racing Than When Racing

Well I am pretty disgusted about what I found out yesterday from a very good friend that I have not seen for a little while.

He has trotters/pacers and races most weekends etc, we were discussing the virus and I have 3 mini horses practiculay in towen that I am waiting to contract the virus, its not if now it’s when.

Anyway in this conversation I asked him how his trotters were fairing and if they had caught it yet, he informed me that they had not but he didn’t care if they did or didn’t because his horses were making more money for him not racing than they were when they WERE racing.

The government is paying him $80 per head for his horses whilst not in work and racing !!!!!!

His trotters never made that much money when they were racing for him !!! HELLLOOOOO.

What is wrong with this picture ??? How many OTHER racing industry people are getting this payment ?????

Why are they being paid this money anyway as racing is not their sole income ? This person has a full time job and does his trotters on the side as more of a hobby.

Why are we not entitled to that payment also ???
Hearing this kind of story infuriates me to no end, its just drives that wedge deeper and deeper.

Mr Messara, we are as mad as hell and we aren't going to take this anymore!There can't be one rule for you and another for us, enough is enough!!!

Well said Carmen Bapje, we are all over the preferential treatment.

Angie

Purple Zones

Poor old DPI - damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Yes, the DPI did consult about extending the purple zone. Right from day 1 of the Scone purple zone the DPI was getting requests, not just from TB breeders, to extend the same concessions to other areas. While I was ILO at Orange I spoke to numerous owners and breeders about extending the purple zone. I grant that owners whose properties were uninfected felt that if the red zone was made purple they might get the infection they had tried to prevent. They can still maintain their own biosecurity until their horses get vaccinated. The rate of infections was slowing and DPI felt that they could delay no longer. Like many decisions that are being made - there is a compromise between perfect disease control on one hand and reducing the economic effects on the other.

There are many quarter horse and stock horse breeders in the Upper Hunter and Tamworth areas who were just as affected as any TB breeder in the loss of their businesses. Ask the warmblood breeders in the lower Hunter how they were faring. Ask Heath how he was doing with the loss of mares to his stallions. It was possible to delay the decision for other breeders because they are not nearly as committed to the 1 September start to the breeding season. If the decision to extend the purple zone was delayed any further it would have meant financial ruin for these breeders.

There is no restriction on slaughter or use of horses vaccinated with the GMO vaccine except for human consumption in Australia. The French produce the vaccine and are quite happy to eat horses vaccinated with it. That's their choice. The vaccine is a live organism but it does not survive in the horse.

Rod Hoare
Board Member AHIC

Welfare of ex racehorses

I have a couple of questions regarding the use of live canary pox vaccine and the ongoing effects to horses.

I am under the impression that horses need time to get over the flu, weeks to months depending on severity of symptoms, yet we keep hearing that racing will be resuming by December in Queensland. It is my understanding that the trainers at Ipswich have been ‘told’ to keep training, they must keep the track open even though there is EI at the stables around Bundamba!! These horse were all vaccinated with the live vaccine but many have contracted EI before the vaccine was effective.

Are there horses that use the Ipswich track being ‘worked’ when perhaps they should not be? If this is the case there is a flow on that will affect not just the horses but also the people that use ex racehorses.

Let’s play devil’s advocate here for a moment, the racehorse is in work too early, hasn’t fully recovered (even though he/she looks fine) as training progresses to faster work, he/she suffers a set back, maybe a respiratory infection?, this hangs around, perhaps he/she bleeds? Or there is permanent lung damage? and ultimately economics force the ‘sacking’ of this horse – let’s face it there are more owners, trainers and horses on the borderline going round in racing than there are at elite level so economics plays a huge part. The terrible wastage in the racing industry is already well documented.

Generally we see the horse sold to the pleasure and performance part of the industry or dogged if a buyer is not found, there are some that spend their lives as paddock companions to young stock.

Is it correct that horses that have been given the live vaccine cannot be ‘dogged’? If it is, what will happen to the horses that are sacked by trainers or owners with no decent land to retire the horse to, how many of the owners would still want to (or could afford to) feed the sacked horse at todays hay prices for possibly the next twenty years (there wouldn’t be many I’m sure)

So a horse that could possibly bring money to the owner, from the pleasure and performance industry or from the doggers is now going to cost the owner even more money to euthanaise and dispose of (I’ve had to do that so I know what it costs)

There is another part to this story as well – let’s say one of these horses becomes an elite level event horse and gets on the Aussie team to go to NZ, elsewhere on this blog it has been written that NZ will not allow entry to horses that have been given the live vaccine (is this true? Is it a short term issue only or is it for the life of the horse?) so this horse cannot go there to compete. I realise that not every rider has either the ambition or ability to get on the team squad but such a purchaser may just find that the horse has the ability with a ‘professional’ rider (this happens, I have personal experience of this) Will this make a difference to those people purchasing the ex race horse?

What happens to the pleasure and performance owner with an old/sick horse in the future that has to be disposed of, not everyone has enough land or lives in a shire that will allow burial on the property.
Will we see more responsible horse ownership and disposal in the future? Will we need a new sector in the industry to dispose of the unwanted vaccinated horses?

This has the potential to become a huge welfare issue (look at the USA states that have banned ‘dogging’) as horses starve to death in paddocks with no feed in drought conditions.
Pam, Esk, SE QLD

Who Is John Messara?

I did a little research on John Messara on the world wide web to see why John Messara could get a Permit when nobody else could??? These are a couple of snippets I found that you might find interesting......

*SOME OF HIS PARTNERS IN THE HORSE INDUSTRY:Gerry Harvey, John Messara and Muzzafar Yaseen are all highly successful in business, racing and breeding. They share a passionate commitment to the Australian racehorse, and all four of the stallions we stand at Plaintree were individually bred and raced by them.

*There was plenty of criticism when Arrowfield paid $10 million for a half share in Redoute’s Choice, but Messara now controls 50% – and full standing rights (the other 50% is owned by the stallions breeder, Mr Muzzafar Yaseen) – of one of the most valuable stallions in the world.

* He later graduated in commerce from the University of NSW, and went on to start his own stock broking company.

* his email address is: jmm@arrowfield.com.au

*The love of horse racing can be pinpointed for the current career of a gambling industry high flyer. Alas, not in racing but in the poker machine field. A comment from John Rouse “Strange as it sounds,” he says, “but it was at the AJC where the staggering size of the Australian gaming industry, including the slot machine segment, really hit me.”
He approached an old friend, John Messara, with the idea of a new slot machine company. Possibly the biggest breeder of race horses in Australia, John Messara was interested. He was also chairman of the Kolback Group, a waste management company which seemed ideal as a vehicle to buy an existing poker machine manufacturer.
The choice fell on Vidco, then owned and managed by the highly experienced Brian Frost and in July 1999 the $14 million deal was sealed. Kolback and through that John Messara and John Rouse, were now in the slot machine business.
A few months later their new company, called Stargames, managed to sign a cross licence agreement with the huge Chicago-based WMS (Williams) slot machine manufacturer and soon after that clinched a development agreement with Melbourne’s Crown Casino to develop a series of electronic table games.Stargames was in business.

*27 August 2006: Arrowfield Stud, home of Australia’s champion sire Redoute’s Choice and eight other celebrated stallions, is the new sponsor of the Blue Diamond Stakes - Victoria’s premier race for two-year-olds. The three-year sponsorship, which commences in 2007, was jointly announced today by Arrowfield Managing Director, John Messara, and Melbourne Racing Club Chairman, Peter Young, at the stud’s annual Stallion Parade Day at its world-renowned property at Scone in the Hunter Valley.

The association extends to the full five-race Blue Diamond series during Caulfield’s Summer Classics, commencing with the two $100,500 Arrowfield Stud Blue Diamond Previews (Listed) for colts and geldings and fillies over 1,000 metres at the Australia Day on 26 January, followed by the $125,750 Arrowfield Stud Blue Diamond Preludes (Group 3) for colts and geldings and fillies at the C.F. Orr Stakes meeting on 10 February, and culminating in the $1,015,000 Arrowfield Stud Blue Diamond Stakes (Group 1) over 1,200 metres on 24 February.

* John Messara is the President of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, so he knows a lot about the impact equine flu will have on breeding. He's also in the racing game with Alan Jones, he and John Messara are in a syndicate that owns the most prized stallion in Australia.Redoute's Choice is now at John Messara's Arrowfield Stud in the NSW Hunter Valley.The stallion is a phenomenon - over the next 10 years it's estimated he could earn half a billion dollars. Every time he "covers” a mare, Redoute's Choice earns his owners three hundred and thirty thousand dollars.L ast year he serviced 192 mares and Alan Jones has 4 per cent of the syndicate.
2GB's station owner John Singleton holds 2 per cent.

* LEADING breeder John Messara has dismissed a growing push to use artificial insemination should the equine influenza saga stretch beyond September.
The standardbred industry has used AI for years. Given AI does not require a mating between mare and stallion -- impossible with the lock-down of shuttle sires at two quarantine centres, and the movement of all horses -- many believe it should be part of a salvage plan.

* Influential owner/breeder John Messara said there was an opportunity for racing to recover from the EI crisis provided industry participants remained resilient and there was some "timely decision-making from the NSW Government".
"Because racing is such a regulated sport, a positive outcome will require the involvement of the State Government," Messara said.

*One of 'Miss Finland's' part-owners is John Messara. Top mare Miss Finland has been allowed to travel to Melbourne from Lindsay Park stud in South Australia for tomorrow's races, after leading trainer David Hayes received special travel permits.
The Hayes stable needed clearances from both Victorian and South Australian officials for the horse to be moved interstate, because of the outbreak of equine influenza Hayes was disappointed that Miss Finland's owners, John Messara and Alan Jones were not on hand to share the experience of her first win at weight for age..NO WONDER DAVID HAYES COULD ALSO GET A PERMIT TO MOVE HER!

* Messara is a pioneer in bringing shuttle stallions to Australia and a pioneer in forging partnerships with Japanese breeders. ISN'T THAT WHERE EI CAME FROM - JAPAN? (THEY CURRENTLY HAVE EI DON'T THEY?)

* Tuesday, 14 November 2006: Aushorse will now be led by a group of 7 directors comprising; Aushorse Chairman John Messara (Arrowfield Stud)

* ALLAN JONES INTERVIEWS JOHN MESSARA (CONVENIENT) - Click Here

* Messara added the government should compensate part of the vaccination.
He said he was desperate not to see EI spread south into Victoria and has extra reason to see the Melbourne spring carnival go ahead given his champion horse Miss Finland is set to sweep all before her.

* JOHN Messara, the principal of Arrowfield Stud and owner of champion Miss Finland, is the overwhelming public choice as horse racing's most influential person.
And the sport's powerful breeders bloc clearly has the loudest voice in the racing industry with five breeders in the top seven in a revised list as voted by readers.
"The most powerful person in racing today is John Messara," wrote one respondent, who requested anonymity due to his close links with the racing and breeding industry. "He has influence right throughout the industry and even in politics."

Another reader pointed out that Messara's breeding and racing operation is not only hugely successful, he also has friends in "all the right places".

"There is no one in racing with John Messara's contacts. He gets his message across at all levels of the racing industry and in the (State) Government, and has influential friends and business associates like Alan Jones on 2GB," he added.

NOT SUCH A CO-INCIDENT ON WHO GETS THE PERMITS, GOVERNMENT HAND-OUT'S ETC!!

Maureen NSW.

Purple zones

Well done & well said Heath.

I'm glad that Arrowfield got their mares there under permit :-P, but how come John, you seem to be able to get permits so readily ??? Who's butt do we all need to start kissing to get them too?? All your horses are to you, is money making machines, you don't give a rats about the mare who lost her foal, your just worried about getting her back to stud so she can be bred again for next year. You have no idea about love or compassion for anything, it's all dollar signs to you.

With regard to the extension of the purple zone, was anyone asked if they wanted this to occur ?? It seems a lot of owners now living within this new extension aren't happy with this decision. No one wants to send horses into the purple zone "indefinitely" - unless your a TB breeder. Yes competitions may be able to get going, but who wants to risk working a horse too early and damaging their lungs further, oops forgot, racehorse trainers, there's always a steady supply of replacements.

What's going to happen to all the GM vaccinated horses when they're finished racing etc. They can't be sent to the "doggers" as their meat can't be used ? They can't be sold to NZ or other GM resistant countries, even Tassie may not want them. When will the powers that be actually stop and sit down and really look at it in a logical way instead of all these knee jerk reactions, when someone in power says jump.

When will the TB association stop treating people with contempt ? I have a good friend who was contacted by them to say that they would be at their property to vaccinated ONE TB they had there, to be broken in and trained. They were TOLD to have said horse in the yards ready for them. They asked the caller, what about the other 46 horses ? He said as they weren't TB's they wouldn't be done. They said, so those horses can basically go jump, and the reply was YES, they don't matter. They then told caller that they would ALL be in the yard together and they could pick which one they wanted to vaccinate as they are SO CLEVER. Said TB representative didn't turn up.......but just where do these people get off ??

Hopefully in 2 weeks when the " PLEGMINGTON MELBOURNE CUP" is run and won, & EI suddenly and of course, unexpectedly shows up in VIC, the government will finally throw in the towel as they've made their millions from the spring carnival. They will lets us start to manage EI ourselves, maybe then we'll have a chance of controlling this bug.

Sue

Like Pulling Teeth.

19th October.

Australian Equine Dental Practice member, Kurt Boegel made a career move. “I was born and bred around horses and about two years ago moved from Macedon in Victoria to Tamborine Village on the Gold Coast Hinterland. We enjoy the outdoor life and it was a bit cold at Macedon. I studied as a mature age student to become an Equine Dentist. (Kurt is part of the Equine Dental Practice which consists of a group of equine dentists around Australia who seek to work at high standards. Members of this group render service to organisations such as the RSPCA, RDA, secondary and tertiary colleges, clubs and individuals). I changed my career for the long term. You have to do something you want to do and not leave it too late.

“I am a full-time equine dentist and when this first broke out, I just called a halt. I did nothing as far as work was concerned and did not even visit friends who had horses. I just stayed at home and waited to see what would come about, when we could go out and work and how to go about things. We have Australian Stock Horses and they have all had the virus and were pretty down for about ten days, but are OK now. After about six weeks, most of the horses in this area had had the virus, but there are a few pockets that are clean, still and the feeling up here is that they should be vaccinated and after the due quarantine time, we can all start moving again. The AEDP established strict bio-security protocols and I just recently began to do a little bit of work, to just keep my business running for when this is over. I might visit one property one day, have a day off and then visit another and so on. I believe I have to wear the cost and operate with strict bio-security and carry the business through and that’s what I am doing. I may only treat a few horses a week at $65 each, so I am currently operating at a loss.

“We get some support from the government, but that can’t keep you going. I am not knocking them as they are helping. We are very lucky as some people out there rely totally on horses for their income. We’ll survive and I plan to keep my business going because I am passionate about my work. One day we will be back on our feet. But we need consistency when it comes to advice on the virus situation and we need some sort of time frame regarding how long this will go on, so we can make plans”.

“To many in the non horse world and even some within it, the EI outbreak is now old news. Horse Deals is keen to try and keep the attention firmly on the many within it experiencing difficulties during the rampage of this unprecedented virus. It is important the horse community support each other through this difficult time. Thank you to the fine group of people at Horse Deals for wanting to publish my story. To all the people out there in a similar situation Keep your chin up.”

PLEASURE AND PERFORMANCE HORSE INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE

FIRSTLY YES HEAT RYAN YOU ARE A LEGEND AND A TRUE AUSTRALIAN. THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO HELP THE 80% OF US BE HEARD.

I TODAY NOTICED ON ANOTHER SITE THE QLD P & P HORSE GROUP REQUESTING ALL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PLEASURE HORSE INDUSTRY TO SUBMITT 2 FORMS ASKING THEM TO COMPILE INFO ON HOW MANY MEMBERS THEY HAD, WHERE THEIR MEMBERS WERE LOCATED, IF THEIR MEMBERS HAD EI, HOW FAR WAS THE NEAREST EI CASE FROM THEM AND IF THEY HAD APPLIED FOR VACCINATION.

SO I DOWN LOADED THE FORM AND STARTED TO TRY AND SEND IT TO ALL THE ASSOCIATIONS I AM A FINANCIAL MEMBER OF.

SEEMS LIKE THEY HAVE ALL TAKEN THEIR ANNUAL LEAVE AS NONE ARE UPDATING OR GIVING ANY INFO ON EI OTHER THAN TO LOOK AT THE DPI WEB SITES.

SO HOW CAN WE GET A UNITED VOICE IF THE ASSOCIATIONS SEEM TO HAVE JUST LAYED DOWN TOOLS?????

HERE ARE THE ONES THAT I PAY MEMBERSHIPS TOO.
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL SADDLE HORSE ASSOCIATION
RIDING PONY STUD BOOK ASSOCIATION
AUSTRALIAN SADDLE PONY ASSOCIATION
SHOW HORSE COUNCIL QUEENSLAND
PONY CLUB ASSOCIATION QUEENSLAND
AUSTRALIAN STOCK HORSE ASSOCIATION
AND OF COURSE EFAQ.

COME ON GUYS I PAY ALOT OF MEMBERSHIP FEE’S NOW IS THE TIME TO PUT ALL THE INFO NEEDED TOGETHER (A HUGE TASK FOR YOU ALL I AM SURE) BUT VERY NECESSARY.

IF ANY OF YOU OUT THEIR ARE SECRETARIES, PRESIDENTS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, PLEASE LET YOUR SOCIETY KNOW THAT IF WE ARE TO HAVE ONE VOICE THEY NEED TOO COALATE THIS INFO AND SEND TO
Leasa Stephen leasa@gypsielodge.com.au
or Nicole Tough colnik@optus.com.au
CHEERS
SUE

THANK YOU HEATH

As our family sat and watched the ABC’s 7.30 report we could only nod in agreement with Heaths’s commentary.

Thank you Heath for putting forward the other side of the EI outbreak with such passion and conviction. There are more of us.

Pleasure/performance horse people out here than the thoroughbred racing people may be we need to gather outside Eagle Farm or Randwick race course when the races are on and start protesting about the inequity of this whole EI thing at least the TV stations might start to take notice and see that there is a story to be told and that 80% of the horse community are getting stitched up.

Phil

A MESSAGE FOR FRIENDS AND HORSES WHO ARE NOT EFA MEMBERS

Wendy Cohen, Thursday, 18 October 2007

It will understandably seem to you that the EFA has been solely concentrated on its own members in the past three weeks. Please let us re-assure you.

EFA NSW has negotiated with the State Government and the DPI to immediately release 3,000 doses of live canary pox vaccinations for use in the Red and Purple Zones. All horses in the Red and Purple zone WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN INFECTED WITH EI can now be vaccinated.

To arrange this contact your vets and give them details of how many horses you have on your property and where you are situated. Your vet will then pass on this information to Derek Major, Agnes Banks Vet Clinic, in the Hawkesbury and he will arrange for vaccination as soon as possible. This will be at Government/Industry cost.

The EFA is working alongside the AHIC in gathering this information and the AHIC is assisting in the process by contacting all other non-racing organisations and forward information to the DPI. The AHIC instituted a survey that has been widely distributed throughout the sport and leisure horse community.

THE WAY FORWARD
If all goes to plan this effort should mean that competitions could begin in about the second week of December. This calculation depends clearly on all horses who you wish to compete either being over the effects of EI or having had their second injection of the vaccination before the end of November.

Following Minister Peter McGauran's press release of the 17th October, which stated that 500,000 doses of vaccine have been ordered by the Federal Government, EFA NSW has put in a submission to the State Government for 10,000 doses of vaccine for use on a 'user pays’ basis in the Amber and Green Areas. This is now being considered by DPI. EFA NSW has proposed that these doses be distributed to vets around the state in order that owners can ask their local vet to vaccinate their horses.
It is not possible to give an indication of a time frame for this to eventuate because it is not clear how long it will be before the vaccine arrives in Australia. Six weeks was the time mentioned in discussions with DPI today.

As everyone will realise EI has challenged us all including those who are working hard on you behalf to remedy the situation.

There was understandably considerable caution in the first instance in releasing the vaccine. This was because the policy was to return Australia to its EI Free status. Whilst this vision has not been abandoned, it is now recognised that the use of vaccine may assist in the control of the virus.
At every step and whenever possible the EFA NSW has brought to the attention of the powers that be the plight of all horse owners in all activities including breeding. We will continue to advocate for the whole industry and hope that it will be recognised that acting together as The Horse Industry, is in everybody's interest.

Hey - We all knew that..

Heath has always been a legend!!

Jodi (NSW)

Poor communication fuelled horse flu crisis: breeder

A New South Wales Hunter Valley horse breeder says tonight's horse flu information session at Dungog is long overdue, accusing the New South Wales Government of making the flu crisis worse through poor communication.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) meeting will involve local veterinarians, horse industry groups and Rural Lands Protection Board representatives.

Dungog thoroughbred and polo pony breeder Jaime MacKay is attending the meeting.

He says there has been a high level of confusion since the outbreak hit almost two months ago.

"I think there's a major breakdown in communication between all levels," he said.

"There's a communication breakdown between the DPI and the different DPIs within the area and there's also a communication breakdown between the DPI and policing.

"I spoke to a policeman the other day and he didn't even know that the purple zone has been extended."

A comment on "Sensible solution"?

It may be a rich man's sport in Europe, but it isn't in the States, and no one wants to know about your EI vaccine status unless you are going to EFA type events. It is ~$15 -20 and most of the time the vaccine is scheduled with other things and not just a vaccine. It is the protocol and the government agencies that are making this so expensive.

If the current vaccine protocol is going to be continued at the current rate then don't worry, they will never get to you. A colleague said that he vaccinated 38 horses in one day with his group. At that rate and 650,000 horses in Australia and say 20 vaccination groups even per state it would take ~150 working days to do all the horses in Australia. In the States we had a threat of Venezuelan equine encephalitis. Vets were given the vaccine and a simple certificate book which held the age breed sex and name of the horse and owner. There were about 10 horses per page and then the owners called our clinic if they wanted the vaccine and we made trips to various areas and vaccinated horses. In two weeks we did about 6,000 horses along with the other emergencies and that was just my dad alone. The government paid him $6 per horse. Different virus but very effective vaccination plan. Owners were happy and the vets were happy and a very high percentage of the population got immunity from the disease and it really did halt the progression.

I think it is a bit rich to say that the lousy money hungry vets and the vaccine companies will get rich and that is bad. I want to thank the vaccine companies for having the vaccines available and I want to thank any vet will come to vaccinate the horses. In case you haven't noticed there is a rural vet crisis and there are darn few of us here to even do it right now.

I am vet and I am saying just let vets, or even someone else, sell the vaccine and not try to kill a fat hog in every dose. After a year or so EI will not (if we have a good distribution of vaccine) be a big deal and I will not, for one, be suggesting that my client who put on shows require verification of vaccine. In my practice in the States maybe 10 % vaccinated twice a year and 5% 3-4 times per year. I saw maybe one EI case a year. I certainly saw more than one case of rhino abortion per year and occasionally the odd case of neurological rhino (you really don't want that one) and yet no one asks for certificates for rhino immunization at shows.

You have been inundated with hype about the vaccine and its drawbacks. Those same nay-sayers are now trying to buy more vaccine. You have been told that EI vaccine will make horse owning too expensive. It doesn't need to be like that. Ask American horse owners. It is not the vaccine that will make it expensive, it is the bureaucratic regulation that will make horse owning more expensive. You need to demand a vaccine that is affordable and you need to protect your horses and that doesn’t need to cost as much as your new saddle pad, joint meds or the chiro. (you didn’t think I was going to mention ) vets did you.

I don't want it to become endemic like many suggest, but folks look and demographics and look at the graphs. If this is the eradication plan and the graphs are on target then I would hate to see the graph if it wasn't working. (happy to supply you with my graph I keep daily).
Elizabeth Woolsey Herbert.

Watch Heath on the 7.30 Report

EI drives deep divide in the horse industry.

Ever since Equine Influenza broke out in Australia, the news has been dominated by the damaging impact on horse racing. But the vast majority of those affected are the sport and recreational sectors from equestrian competitors to drovers. They claim that they've been forgotten as the poor cousins in the horse industry and many are now facing financial ruin.

Follow this link to read the transcript and download extended video interviews. Good for Dial up o Broadband.

Follow this link to watch what was on the 7.30 report. You need to click on the EI drives deep divide in the horse industry, picture on the right hand side. Then wait until it downloads. This option is not recommended if you are on dial up. 7.30 Report

ABC -7.30 REPORT

Good on you Heath Ryan for telling it as it is....bless your cotton socks.
I hope you all saw the 7.30 Report on the ABC tonight.

Many thanks ABC for your exposure of this CONTAINMENT FARSE.
John Messara (Thoroughbred Association) should hang his big head in shame for his part in this farse called THE FORCED CONTAINMENT of the everyday horse owner while he can move his 45 brood mares through RED ZONES to his ARROWFIELD STUD in the Hunter Valley!!!!
Shame on you Mr Messara I couldn't even move 8 of my sick horses half a kl up the road!!!!

And what did you site as the reason Mr Messara....WELFARE GROUNDS.....what about my sick horse's WELFARE GROUNDS AND OTHERS WELFARE GROUNDS!

Heath Ryan also pointed out if you or me import a horse it has to stay 21 days in quarantine, not so the Thoroughbred, they need only stay 14days!!!!!

Heath stated we outnumber Thoroughbreds in this country 80 to 1 yet we are controlled by THE BIG END OF TOWN.

Mr Messara, we are as mad as hell and we aren't going to take this anymore!

There can't be one rule for you and another for us, enough is enough!!!

- Carmen Bajpe

*** WELL DONE HEATH RYAN *** THE TRUE HORSE AMBASSADOR FOR AUSTRALIA!

In Brisbane there as been little media coverage regarding EI on the television, especially the plight of the "recreational/pleasure" horse industry. I was channel flicking earlier tonight and happened to come across the start of an interview on ABC News regarding the situation of the people who own the pleasure/show horses. The way Heath Ryan spoke - with such passion - gave me goose pimples up and down my arms. It was truly inspirational. He told it as it really is for the "pleasure horse" people. Heath Ryan your a star for speaking out the way you did.

If anyone is interested, you can view the interview on the abc website under their show called "7:30 Report". The interview is called "EI drives deep divide in the horse industry".

THANK YOU HEATH

RegardsVal Qld

EI

Hey look I get that Encosta de Lago was coming from Ireland but the fact is..someone or some horse associated with the racing/thoroughbred industry did bring EI into Australia.I also understand that no my mare is not the only horse in danger, and yes heaps of others are in much worse of a situation. And I am grateful that my parents income dose not rely on anything to do with horses.

I feel for those who have lost horses and for those people who suffered financial loss.and if the racing/thoroughbred industry is so worried why don’t they ledge to stop the currently permitted horse movements in the "purple zone".

My district is receiving new reports of local equine influenza outbreaks each day and there is nothing we can do about it.

Henry

EI Gratitude

I am a small Spanish horse stud in the lower south west of WA. In early August I purchased a palomino QH named Moet from lower Victoria. The day before he was due to be picked up Notable Horse Transport rang to say all horses were in lock down!

After some months Moet will finally arrive home to me this Sunday the 21st of Oct.

I would like to very sincerely thank the following people/organisations etc.

Firstly - HORSE DEALS - The only reliable site totally up to date with the latest information on the EI situation. A site also allowing the average equestrian to have their say and write their thoughts! Even extending advertising times etc .I have bought and will continue to buy every single edition each month. Not just for the horses but results, stockists ads and information on various subjects.

Secondly -NOTABLE HORSE TRANSPORT - All staff from the office to the drivers/horse handlers - especially to you - PRUE.

Service! Professionalism , dedication, care ,communication and concern. I had updates throughout Moet's journey re all the vet checks , quarantine stays, border checks , liver Fluke, ag dept regulation paper work ( which Prue and staff helped get in order and filled out!). Agistment and quarantine was all organised for me . I cannot highly recommend Notable Horse Transport enough.

I have used them several times now and will use no-one else. Moet had better than the best care and attention and was treated like one of their own. Greatly reducing stress.

Lastly Moet's previous owner Rebecca Scott, keeping Moet at no charge ,transportation etc and Kylie Morrow for continuing to exercise him.

THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH ............

I wish all other horsey people who are in a much worse situation than I was all the best of luck and speed to the end of the EI situation especially QLD and NSW.

Fiona Burford - ROSE CLIFF PARK STUD - BOYANUP WA.

What is the problem with everyone

I wish everyone would stop blaming the thoroughbred industry for bringing this to our beautiful country. How about all the other breeds imported eg Warmbloods, Quarter horses, ponies, Arabians etc etc. Anyone of us who imports has the chance that their horse may be the ONE!!! who brings this in.

Grow up stop being blind and face it. It may have been yours/ or mine import that could have brought it. Aren't we lucky it wasn't. THIS TIME!!!. PLEASE blame Australian quarantine not anyone person or(horse) industry.

Horse people against the government and their laughable biosecurity I say not horse people against horse people

Oh and for all the fruities out there no I have NO connection with the racing industry.

Chloe

Armidale

Horses are dying, more and more properties are being placed under quarentine and all hell is breaking loose in Armidale.

The racecourse is under quarentine, the showgrounds are empty and silent. Armidale is in turmoil. EI has claimed a few horses, some not directly, but by veterinarians ect. not being able to come to farms.

It will not stop until it has gone through the whole of the Armidale district. Has anyone given a thought to the little kids who will be wondering why they cannot ride their ponies or go to pony camp or in fatal cases, where their best friends have gone.

Henry

EI EI Oh

Don't you miss the days when "EI?" "EI" "Oh..." was the start of a nursery rhyme and not a conversation with the vet...
KM

Reply to Victoria re EFA membership

Victoria you are "floggong a dead horse" so to speak . Many horse owners have been there done that as far as EFA membership goes. There is so much ill will towards the EFA that in my opinion it will never become the united voice of the horse industry that we all so much crave.

You only need to look at some of the responses from current members to see the degree of dissatisfaction with the way they operate. They have a reputation for being keen to extract as much money as possible from registrations and fees .

Lets just say I have 2 horses and riders that ride hacks on the show circuit and I want to register them with the EFA in Qld.

Senior rider shows registration $130 x2 = $260 per annum plus $40 application X 2 = $80

Horse registration $125 X 2 = $250

Performance card $16.50 X 2 = $33.00

So the cost for us to join , register 2 horses and have 2 performance cards is $623.00

I rest my case !

m.j.